Most modern automobiles now come equipped with a communications interface for retrieval of data and other diagnostic information from the automobile. This information is accessed by a diagnostic test device using an electrical connector that plugs into the communications interface. These test devices are mostly portable units that are easily carried by the test operator. They can include a display and input buttons used to provide input commands to the automobile through the communications interface.
Typically, the testing process requires the operator to sit in the driver's seat of the automobile and to input commands into the test device, view information displayed by the test device, and operate some or all of the driver controls, including the ignition switch, transmission shift lever, climate control system, windshield wiper switch, acceleration and brake pedals, headlight switches, and so forth. This usually requires that the test device be placed in the operator's lap or on the vehicle seat next to the operator, making it more difficult to access the input buttons or view the display.
One possible solution to this problem is to temporarily mount the test device onto the steering wheel for easy, hands-free access by the test operator. However, diagnostic and validation testing of the type contemplated herein is typically carried out after assembly of the vehicle is substantially or entirely complete. For most modern vehicles, this means that a driver's side airbag has already been installed into the center hub of the steering wheel. The existence of an operational driver's side airbag carries with it the possibility of an unintentional deployment of the airbag during the testing process. For a test device mounted on the steering wheel either partially or wholly overlapping the center hub, there is also the possibility that deployment of the airbag could cause the test device to become disengaged from the steering wheel and create a potential hazard for the test operator or others nearby.